I had the pleasure of launching artist Tony O’Connor’s work last night at the 2020 gallery on the North Mall. Tony’s work can be seen in the pictures below and on his website, http://www.whitetreestudio.ie/
Kieran’s Launch Speech
Eye to the Soul
Tony O’Connor, Ladies and Gentlemen, many thanks for the invitation to come and chat to you this evening.
This is my second time launching one of Tony’s exhibition – the last time being in September 2009. Since then Tony has been busy getting his work more national exposure through commissions and national critiques.
Walking around one can see the amount of work that has been put into the artwork on display. What is very evident is the passion that Tony has for his work, the amount of planning, design work, thought, emotion and building work that has gone into these artworks. While these images speak volumes to the horse lover, the quality, detail and narrative work gives Tony’s a much broader appeal. Anyone who appreciates the processes of drawing, the freeze framing of a piece of life, the horse and now cows cannot but be drawn in – taken on a journey looking at Tony’s work
They say that art has the power to stop, impress, make one question, wonder, dream, remember, be disturbed, explore and not forget – a whole series of emotions – all of which echo throughout Tony’s photographs.
Contested Views:
As a student geographer in the Department of Geography near here my own interests have been for some many years exploring Irish culture, history, landscape and identity making. I have a passion for exploring Cork City and its region’s rich historical tapestry which to me is an enormous and complex artwork, which has its own lines, contours and outward expression, meanings and memories.
Tony’s work before us also zooms in on what could be described a piece of life – his works create new ways of seeing aspects of the Irish countryside, create ways of expressing ideas about life in the Irish countryside.
Each of Tony’s work presents a different view but of course are all connected through the overall theme of the exhibition; each work has its own meanings and memories to him and of course one can say all of that for all those who come to view his works. Each viewer will take something different away from their visit to view his work.
Mesmorisation:
Perhaps one of the central threads to Tony’s work is the power of the contours of his subjects – his works on display fluctuate between views of bits of animals and full views. Tony is mesmorised and empowered to react to the narratives he encounters – memories and life within landscapes and this draws him closer to his subjects of study. It is clear that his subjects have affected him in different ways. It has slowed him down to observe, ponder and react to its details.
He seems to be continually learning how to see, read, understand and to appreciate his subjects.
For Tony, his subjects with all their strengths and weakness perhaps is a genius which he continues to chat to. It engages, inspires, pushes him on and moulds him.
His work as memories light up his canvasses – every story presented is charged with that emotional sense of nostalgia –the past shaping his present thoughts, ideas and actions.
It is said that a place owes its character not only to the experiences it affords –sights and sounds – but also to what is done there – looking, listening and moving. Tony explores the richness in the ordinary if one looks, listens and observes.
Hauntings:
All of what I have noted are ideas. They plus many more ideas certainly haunt Tony’s own journey in his work in the Irish landscape, where he meets his subjects,
But what is quite clear is that Tony has explored, explores and will continue to explore different ways of looking at what’s in front of us. Perhaps for us the viewer, he presents a set of lenses or tools perhaps to decode, discover, recognise, reveal, synthesise, communicate, move forward and explore Ireland’s cultural heritage, its environment and the very essence of Irish identity
Ladies and gentlemen, in this world, we need more of those traits; of thinking outside of the box – more confidence, strength of imagination, freedom to express oneself, determination, force of life – and we need to mass produce these qualities.
Tony, may you always have an open mind to ideas, and that your talent will grow with each work. I wish you all the best of luck with this exhibition and moving forward into the future as you cross boundaries and beyond with your work.
It is my great pleasure to launch your art exhibition.